Accident Prone
by Troublesome Dragon
Summary: Okay, I made a mistake. I can admit that. If he had only stopped for an interview, no Carly that does not excuse what you just did. You ran him over, and the guy he was about to duel wasn't looking too friendly either.
1. Hit

Hit

Okay, I made a mistake. I can admit that. If he had only stopped for an interview, no Carly that does not excuse what you just did. You ran him over, and the guy he was about to duel wasn't looking too friendly either. He had a dead look to his eyes, and the robes he wore wasn't exactly the current style.

"Sorry, he has to go to the hospital," I explained, and the dull glow on his arm became apparent. Sticking around obviously wasn't the best idea, so I dragged the new king into my little yellow beetle, hitting his head in the process. Oh, please, don't have a concussion.

"I'm afraid you don't understand. The duel had already started. His life is forfeit if he is unable to continue," The dark clad man said as a strange lizard crawled forward. The creature stared at me and licked its lips.

"You are in the way, step aside," The man ordered as I tried desperately to get the engine to start. My car picked a horrible time to stall. Seeing that I wasn't listening, he signaled for the lizard to attack. I braced myself for the impact only to be surrounded by a crimson light. The duel monster shattered and miraculously, I was able to drive away from the bewildered stranger. Naturally, the minute I was out of danger, I began to question just what had saved us. I turned around to check on him, and saw the insignia I had first noticed during the Fortune cup. The director had tossed my question aside like inconsequential garbage, but there was definitely more going on than he wanted the public to know.

When we arrived at the hospital, any hope I had of going through the front vanished. That's right. The former king had suffered injuries from their duel. Unless I wanted to be bombarded with questions, I would have to sneak him in.

"I don't suppose you have any bright ideas?" I asked Yusei who showed no signs of waking up soon. No help there. Despite the onslaught of reporters, the hospital staff appeared to be keeping the hospital running smoothly. They could go in and out as they pleased. Bingo.

"I'll be back, buddy," I assured him. He seemed to react to my voice and turned. I jumped a little, worried that I would have to make time for apologies. No further movement, good, still unconscious, the less I had to worry about the better. Successfully acquiring a nurse's outfit and stretcher, I walked back to the cab as inconspicuously as possible. I ducked when Angela came into view. We knew each other so my glasses would be a dead giveaway. Busy talking on camera, she failed to notice me pass by. Hidden away by a few unkempt bushes, my car still held the new duel king, clumsily positioned on the back seat in my haste. The mark on his arm still flared and might as well have been screaming: Hey reporters ! I'm over here. Hopefully, the hospital blankets would make the symbol less noticeable. After a few tries, I managed to get him out of the car. My arms couldn't hold him for long, too heavy. I fell backwards, and found myself under him. Either he's a really heavy sleeper or I had really hit him hard. Our close proximity bothered me, I could see the finite details on the marker and feel his breath. Our tumult had me bear the full brunt of his weight and would result in definite bruising. I rolled him off me, and stood. I rubbed my back and hoped that I wouldn't be too sore in the morning.

Putting colossal effort into lifting him onto the stretcher, I finally managed it, give or take a few instances were we both tumbled to the ground again. The pale thin sheets could not hide the volcanic coloration on his arm. I sighed, puzzled over how best to hide the mark. Maybe, he'll listen like he did before.

"Yusei, we're not in danger anymore," I assured the sleeping stranger which appeared to work as an off switch. The ephemeral glow ceased leaving the auburn outline. Satisfied that it would no longer be in the way, I placed the sheets back on him and wheeled forward. Once inside, I marched over to the secretary and explained my situation.

"You're kidding. The new one from Satellite?" She whispered, eyeing the bundle of sheets curiously.

"Yeah, it's him. Could we get a doctor?" I pressed, and the secretary tapped her pen on the desk.

"Okay miss. I'll call him. How did he get hurt anyway? Some dueling accident nonsense, like the other one?" The nurse chattered away as she handed me some forms to fill out. I scratched my head and plastered a fake smile on my face.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I insisted, and the nurse frowned making her entire face look like a prune.

"Fine, fill out those forms, and we'll get right to you," The nurse instructed tartly. I nodded and proceeded to wheel the stretcher next to my chair. There was always a chance someone would want to take a peek, and he was my responsibility at the moment. I couldn't answer most of the questions on the form, except his name and how he was injured. I wasn't looking forward to confronting the doctor about that last part. They could arrest and mark me for this. Security had thrown people out of the city for less. I reluctantly handed over the forms. She perused them and laughed.

"Doctor Harris, you're going to want to take this case," She advised between laughing fits. He took the chart, and immediately, glanced at me with moderate disapproval.

"Come with me nurse," He said as he began walking down the long hall. A few minutes passed before, I realized he meant me, so much for being discrete. I grabbed the stretcher and followed him.

"You ran him over?" The doctor asked in disbelief.

"Yes," I confessed, wringing my hands nervously. Reporting me seemed to be the last thing on his mind, he was analyzing the sheet I filled out which was mostly blank.

"You don't know any of his medical history?" Harris demanded, and I could see that he sincerely doubted it. Yusei's case must be delicate if he's asking the person who ran him over these questions.

"No," I said which caused the doctor to pound his fist on the counter. The staff must be under a lot of pressure. The hospital didn't need word to get out that another celebrity was in the vicinity.

"Can you contact someone who knows him?"He asked. I bit my lip. According to some rumors, the perfect candidate was in the building.

"Well, there is Jack," I suggested, and the doctor shook his head.

"I can't risk bringing him in here and attracting reporters," He replied, and I flinched. Did I count?

"I'll examine him, and see how serious it is. I trust you can sneak him out the same way you brought him in?" Harris inquired. My comrades could be blind when they were fixated on a scoop. I doubted that they would question my exit from the building.

"I guess," I told him. Yusei rose from the sheets, rubbing his head. I was the first thing in his line of vision.

"Who are you?" He asked dubiously.

"Oh no, he has amnesia," I remarked in dismay.

"Carly, he doesn't know you," Harris reminded me patiently. I covered my face with my hands. Right, he never saw me coming. I had hit him from behind so how could he.

"Carly," Yusei repeated, trying to place the name. When nothing came to mind, Yusei surveyed the room. The white walls and assortment of equipment alerted him to where he was.

"What happened?"Yusei demanded while he proceeded to do a self check of his person.

"I ran you over accidentally," I informed him which didn't seem to register completely.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Yusei apologized. Or at all.

"Broken leg, and minor head wound," He muttered. The expertise in which he found the problem made me think there probably weren't many doctors in Satellite.

" I still think we should take a few X- rays," Harris advised. Yusei complied and laid back down on the stretcher. Harris began putting the hospital sheets over him, and he gave him a questioning look.

"Reporters," The doctor remarked. Yusei sighed and hid himself in the sheets. You would think reporters were constantly trampling over him the way he was acting. Wait, I did kinda sort of did that. Harris returned with a few X- rays. Yusei looked smug.

"He has a broken leg. We'll put a cast on it, but at least his head injury doesn't look serious," The doctor reiterated, about ready to smack Yusei with his clipboard. His injuries could have been worse. He had smacked his head on the pavement on the way down. I'd see to it that he got back on his feet. The doctor placed a cast on his right foot, and placed a pair of crutches on the stretcher. There was the matter of the bill.

"I don't have any money," I stated up front. The doctor grinned.

"We'll add it to Jack's bill. The director won't check," Harris responded. Yusei grew alert at the former king's mention. So, they did know each other.

"Jack's here?" He questioned, and the doctor nodded. Positioning his crutches, Yusei prepared to go see, Jack. Knowing how quickly word would spread if he walked around in plain sight, the doctor reassured him.

"He's fine, just a broken arm. You should let this young lady get you out of here while you have the chance. Trust me, it's the least she can do," The doctor suggested. I hung my head low at the doctor's comment. I'll make it up to him, somehow.

" He can take care of himself," Yusei decided after a brief silence and laid down on the stretcher. After hiding him under the sheets, I waved goodbye to the doctor. The second trip was going smoothly when Angela noticed me.

"Trying to sneak in as one of the staff, that's low even for you," Angela yelled, and I prevented myself from starting one of our lengthy arguments.

"You're right Angela. This is a waste of time. The director won't let his precious ward out of his sight. We should all be going after Yusei anyway," I acknowledged which left her speechless for a moment before her brain managed a decent response.

"Like Satellite trash doesn't know all sorts of places to hide, you're wasting your time," Angela said with a huff. Yeesh, I wasn't even trying to insult her that time. And hah, I do have the king with me so there. I took off in the opposite direction of the hospital. Angela seemed confused as to why I was running off with the stretcher, but had a newscast to continue. Arriving at our destination, I stopped short of my cab.

"You're a reporter," Yusei remarked, sitting up. I nodded since I couldn't exactly lie after that little display. Never mind, that he'll likely bear a grudge against reporters because I ran him over.

"I'm sorry about what happened. The purple fire startled me, and I didn't push the brake in time" I apologized.

"Oh, that's why I was knocked out. I thought, "Yusei realized before trailing off.

"To be fair that guy was bad news," I insisted, and Yusei's mind seemed to shift gears.

"Dark signer," He recollected and turned to me.

"I don't blame you for what happened, but I do need a ride back to Saiga's if it's not too much of an inconvenience for you," He asked politely. He wasn't possibly thinking of challenging that guy in his condition was he?

"What are you planing to do?" I demanded.

"I need to save Satellite from getting destroyed. I'll be facing more people like him most likely," He replied honestly while I helped him in.

"You can't in your condition, "I told him. I slammed the door, and started the car before he could get out.

"It's not your choice. I won't abandon my home like everyone else seems ready to do," He yelled as he attempted to open the door. Child's lock was a beautiful thing. He banged on the window once and crossed his arms.

"Can't you let someone else handle it?" I suggested.

"No" He stated with a sigh. Everyone putting the entire burden on you doesn't seem fair, but if Jack's from Satellite, he would care too, I think.

"What about Jack?" I offered which made him frown as he leaned back on the seat.

"He's hurt," Yusei remarked, and I stared at his cast, what a hypocrite.

"So are you, and as far as I'm concerned, a broken leg beats a broken arm. You're coming with me," I ordered, and the nature of the situation slowly sunk in. He was trapped unless he could change my mind.

"But Carly, Jack wouldn't " He started to protest, but I wouldn't hear it.

"Have you asked him?" I questioned which disrupted his thought process. Succinctly, he considered something else.

"No but," He tried again, but I couldn't in good conscious let him face evil on a broken leg.

"Look. I owe you. Is the world ending tomorrow?" I changed tactics, and I could see he wanted to say yes to spite me.

"Maybe," Yusei said carefully. I had him. He left a very big loop hole.

"Then, you can rest today," I reasoned and I heard a thud as he let his head hit the front seat.

"Satellite needs to be evacuated, I must speak with the director," He annunciated as if I wear deaf, or not a completely well person. He wouldn't get away with that excuse either.

"Jack lives with the director," I stated matter a factly.

"He does, but I still don't think," Yusei continued to protest, but his confidence in his position was wavering.

"You know what, so far, it looks like Jack should handle it. Maybe, this is the worlds way of telling you to slow down," I explained, and he glared at his foot as if it had done something wrong.

"I don't think Jack would do any of this on his own," Yusei confessed, glancing at the Kaiba corp. building.

"Do you want to risk being caught by reporters?" I said in an attempt to add incentive to lying low. He smirked, and it was the first time I had seen him anywhere close to happy.

"Haven't I already been caught by one?" He remarked and I let myself smile a little. So what if I was a little bit of a hypocrite too?

"I'm afraid I wouldn't feel right asking you for anything after I ran you over. I'll find something else to report on, " I confessed, and I could just see my boss's floating head yelling, you're fired. He didn't say anything else after that, but when I turned around a few minutes later, he had somehow managed to undo the child's lock.

"Yusei, get out of the car and I will be very disappointed in you," I said rapidly. His hand was on the door handle, and the comment made him freeze. He retracted his hand, and returned to his seat. I knew that would work.


	2. Handyman

Handy Man

I ran someone over yesterday. Not only that, I was keeping him in my apartment against his will. Images of crimson marks, robed men, and menacing lizards flitted through my head. The mark that had been so impossible to hide before had not made another appearance, and the robed man and his lizard minion had long since disappeared from the scene. I knew so much, and I couldn't write an article about it. There was no proof, and yet, I was well aware that it did happen. The whole affair was maddening. I buried myself in the sheets trying to combat the steady rhythmic pulsing of my head. I had another five minutes before the alarm would go off again. I would savor the extra time, after yesterday I deserved it.

All too soon, the alarm rang again, and I shut if off and dragged myself out of bed. Most everything I have has belonged to someone else with the exception of my camera and laptop. The downside was nothing quite worked the way it should. The bed creaked with every move I made. The sheets had the musty smell that ancient fabric had when its been alive for far too long. My sea shell lamp took two to three tries to turn on. My alarm occasionally reset itself to the wee hours of the morning. I would sometimes have to fight to fully open the closet and take out my clothes. As a result, getting ready for work could be difficult on any given day, today, I simply had a lot to think about. Then again, it occurred to me that I might find the stranger gone. The guy was hell bent on saving Satellite himself. If that were the case, I would move on and get some other scoop or lead, preferably one that did not involve facing that spindly lizard thing.

"Morning Carly," Yusei greeted me casually, never mind that he tried to climb out my fire escape yesterday. While I prepared my morning brew, I tried to spot were he was exactly. I'd heard him so he shouldn't be two difficult to spot. My apartment was sparsely furnished. I had two sofas, one coffee table and a tv in the living room, not exactly the best place for hide and seek. I dropped a sugar packet on the floor. I take them from my workplace to save a few pennies. As I was getting up, I noticed that he sat next to the washing machine with a tool box.

"Oh hi, what are you doing?" I asked, dismayed by his lack of sense. He should be resting. Here he was taking on projects.

"Fixing the washing machine,"He replied as if it where the sane thing to do after plotting countless escape attempts.

"You shouldn't be over exerting yourself," I told him which led to eye rolling. I can see what's going to cause me difficulties today. Nothing goes well for poor little Carly, no scoop magically lands on my lap, and my hostage won't cooperate, but I suppose that's normal.

"I'm sitting down," he remarked as he started taking apart the washing machine, accruing several rusted nails and plastic pieces. He toyed with the rusted hinge and simply stared at it after it broke in half. Great, my apartments going to start resembling Satellite soon.

"Where did you even get a tool box?" I asked because I certainly did not have one lying around.

"You're neighbor Miguel," he responded promptly. I swallowed the last of my coffee. The coffee maker was producing lukewarm results this week.

I couldn't really comprehend how he could ask a perfect stranger for things. No one in the city really bothered to get to know their neighbors, and in this neighborhood, there was good reason to keep to yourself.

"Who?"I asked curiously.

I categorized my neighbors by the sounds they made. There was too loud music guy, the feuding couple, and feet made of cement girl for starters.

"That's a shame. He likes you," Yusei said as he pulled out the washing machine's door.

"What? Never mind, you need to stay put," I ordered, even pointing my finger at him like I imagined you were supposed to do when scolding someone. He took out some mysteriously acquired parts probably from this Miguel person.

"I am," he said, poking at the black goo that had started to come out. He added a new screw nearby, making the goo retreat. The illogical physics of that caused me to pause for a moment.

"You obviously were busy this morning," I elaborated since he seemed bent on taking advantage of technicalities.

"I'm not hitting my foot with a hammer or hopping down stairs for kicks. I was careful," Yusei asserted, returning the washer to its former glory. I heard the magical swishing sound that working washers make. The long forgotten sound made me ridiculously happy. I guess I could let it go, just this once.

"Fine, I'll make," I announced and stopped mid sentence. He handed me a platter of pancakes drowned with thick syrup. The scary thing was I didn't have the ingredients for any of this.

"Breakfast,"I finished and took the plate hastily. I'd been eating cereal in the mornings for years. My mouth watered involuntarily. I wanted the pancakes as much as any scoop right now, and by the looks of the kitchen, he'd made them from scratch.

"Hope you like pancakes,"Yusei said. From his tone, I could tell he was well aware that I would love pancakes.

Damn, my reporter's instincts were kicking in. His behavior differed far too much from yesterday. If he had gone for ingredients for pancakes, why not home?

"I don't understand. Yesterday, you wanted to jump out of my car to get away," I said, and sadly, I was not exaggerating. He was a dedicated fellow. I'd give him that. Yusei shrugged, starting to make another batch of pancakes for himself.

"You're letting me stay here. It's the least I can do," he answered. Maybe, he had come to his senses. Good, he shouldn't face those creeps on a broken leg. I took the time to appreciate each of my pancakes which were crafted into a perfect circles. How could he even do that?

" Thank you," I said, ready to dig in. The rich aroma alone could feed me for a week.

"No problem. There is one thing you could do for me," he said after I first cut into the pancakes. So, there was a catch. I put the fork and knife down. Yusei frowned, seeing his ploy averted.

"What?" I asked although I did have an idea of the answer.

'Give me back my deck," he said The hiding place was fairly obvious so I was surprised he hadn't thought to look in the cookie jar. Or is it just my mind that works that way?

"You couldn't find it could you?" I asked. He flipped his pancake he was making and looked at me. His face wasn't frozen in a continual state of indifference for once. His mouth curved into a slight frown, but his eyes, that was what really got to me. They were huge, blue, and glistening.

"Carly, those cards mean a lot to me. I don't go anywhere without them," he admitted. I really hated to do this, but he'd get himself killed otherwise. As I reporter, I had fairly thick skin anyway.

"Exactly," I retorted, picking up my utensils. Yusei grabbed my plate of pancakes before I could take a bite.

"No pancakes for you," he decided, his features angular and antagonistic now. I was been coerced and saying no cost me breakfast.

"Yusei, you already made them. Let me eat some,"I insisted, extending my hand toward the plate. Walking away, he turned off the stove and added the newly made pancakes to the batch he had confiscated. He took a fork and knife from the drawer and sat down across from me.

"You had your chance,"he replied reasonably. He took a bite afterward, taunting me.

"I'll just get something on my way to Satellite then," I decided, knowing a couple of cheap places I could stop by. They might have some issues with health inspectors, but I had yet to get sick at any of the places. Yusei stood abruptly and grabbed my shoulder.

"You can't,"he said as if I were heading toward the grim reaper. This was ridiculous. He can't keep me from eating just because his stupid bribe didn't work.

"I don't care if you bash my head in with your crutches. I'm getting something to eat,"I snapped at him. He shook his head.

"You can't go to Satellite by yourself," he repeated. I thought back to what he had said earlier. He knew something scoop worthy. If what he told me yesterday holds up, Satellite was the place to be.

"You said the next apocalypse might happen in Satellite. People like being informed on that sort of thing, and I still need a story," I said sincerely. I go where my leads take me, dangerous or not.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know. Don't go to over there now. It's not safe," he bargained. I let a cheesy grin escape me, an interview with him was what I had wanted in the first place. Judging by the way he outran the others, this would be an exclusive scoop. I sat back down immediately. I worried about appearing too eager.

"Really? I wasn't trying to pressure you or anything," I said, quickly setting up my lap top. I took a snapshot of him. He blinked a few times afterwards and rubbed his eyes, caught off guard.

"I know. You're just insane enough to try," he muttered, eating another bite.

"Yusei, it's my job to snoop around. I do this sort of thing all the time,"I reassured him. He didn't have the reaction I expected. Instead he looked worried, I wasn't sure what to do, most of the time people were angry when I didn't take risks to get the job done. My boss cared about results, not what I did to get them.

"Alone?" He asked. I'm starting to see why Miguel starting spouting off about his love life. This guy really cares about people. I was in his way for crying out loud, and here he was worried about my safety.

"Yeah, it's no big deal,"I said, in an attempt to steer clear of the subject. This was what I've always done. There was no need to rethink it now. I doubt that it would ever kill me to do what I do.

"Did you ever get hurt because of it?" Yusei pressed. I can't say that I've had serious injuries, a nick there, a bruise here, and a couple of close calls. With my innate clumsiness and all the things I meddled in, I took those sort of injuries and near death experiences as occupational hazards.

Still, it only took one bad day. Every day, I simply gamble that today won't be the day. I can't let him distract me. My ride into Satellite would only wait so long.

"That's not important. You're the one hurt right now," I argued. He didn't like my answer and kept a grip on my shoulder.

The amount pressure his hand held reminded me, just how much he had been humoring me the day before. He could have easily left anytime. I had no doubt he'd be long gone, once I returned his deck ,or he managed to find it. I might as well get an interview while he was here.

"Promise me, you won't go to Satellite,"he persisted. Since he offered me such a good alternative, I suppose I didn't need to camp out in Satellite.

"Don't worry. We have a deal," I promised. Hopefully, I could find out more about this whole signer business through him. I couldn't forget seeing a person's skin exude red mystical energy out of nowhere. I'd stumbled into the story of the century. Yusei thought of something else.

"I mean until this whole mess is settled," he pestered. There goes my one loop hole. Oh well, I have others ways of getting information. A reporter needs to be flexible. So long as you lived in the city, there were certain people who could tell you certain things about the other side of town, for a price.

"If it means that much to you, I can stick to town. So, what exactly is plaguing Satellite anyway?"I asked. The question caused him to enter a sort of reverie. I waited for him to collect his thoughts. He grabbed a sheet of paper on the table and drew a distinctive insignia. I recognized the symbol as one of the Nazca lines. There were reports about that particular symbol disappearing recently along with a few others.

"The Crimson Dragon showed me a premonition of Satellite being destroyed under the mark of the spider," Yusei explained.

Come to think of it, that robed guy had a spider mark. I doubt he could doom all of mankind if I managed to escape. Every thing wasn't fitting together yet. I needed more info, but what to ask? He would probably know more about that dragon considering he has its emblem.

"The Crimson Dragon?" I asked. He stared at the arm I had seen bare the red marking or as he said, crimson marking. So what, he's on the good team then? Or maybe he's on the bad team? He was from Satellite, although that wasn't particularly a good reason to suspect that. His mark had protected me. I would assume the former for now.

"It's a god that the people of the stars worshiped," Yusei said. Old relics wreaking havoc on today's society, definitely a page turner.

The problem with such a page turner was would I publish it as fact or would I be spreading a marvelous work of fiction? He had hit his head pretty hard yesterday. Except, I hadn't. That lizard had definitely planned to eat me, not to mention the glowing arm light show.

"After what I saw yesterday, I don't doubt there's mystical forces at work. Anything else?" I asked. His low tone indicated that he barely processed what he said as real. Something tells me he hasn't had much time to think about these things before now.

He's certainly calmer than yesterday. He wasn't running around like a caged animal anymore. I suppose it's difficult to relax when you know a bomb was waiting to go off, tick, tick, tick .

"That man I would have faced told me he was a dark signer. I think they're the ones brewing trouble. I don't know much else. I'd need to talk to the director to find out more. If you can get me there, I can," he suggested. I quickly cut him off. Once the director got involved, I'd be lucky to even stick around.

Perhaps, I was traveling a fine line. The people of Satellite needed him, but he wasn't in any condition to fight. It's almost selfish to keep him around when I'm benefiting quite a bit from his stay here. Cosmically, I'm positive it's the right thing like helping a row of duckling cross the street or saving a drowning puppy.

"No, you're on bed rest. I shouldn't print this without evidence, even if people would believe it coming from your mouth, " I decided, even if I wasn't erasing what I had typed out from my hard drive. Who knows? The information might come in handy later.

He looked astonished for a moment making his face look unexpectedly fresh and supple instead of hard and jagged. I stared as I comprehended his actual age. I was older than he was.

"They would?"he asked. He's kidding right? The title of king didn't come with actual power, but in this society, if you could duel, you were held with a certain amount of esteem. The poor boy probably doesn't even realize why all those reporters were hell bent on talking to him in the first place.

"Of course, you're the new king from Satellite. You have loads of credibility," I said honestly. As far as I knew, Jack was Satellite born too. The average city person had no idea what went on in Satellite and reacted negatively to any mention of it. So, if the new king said there was trouble brewing, they had no way to counter his claim.

"Carly, I will let you interview me if you take me to Saiga's," he offered. Hey, I just gave up my free access pass into Satellite so I could talk to him and he's asking me for more favors. I won't be conned so easily.

"No fair, you already said you'd answer any question I asked,"I complained. He stood and went to wash his plate. I put a hand on my stomach to try an stifle the growling. Bye-bye pancakes, my stomach deeply regrets your passing.

"Yes, but I won't omit anything if you do," he replied. I gave up settling my stomach and let my head rest on the table. So, it was extra for the whole truth. I just needed to give him enough leeway to squeeze through the bars. As tempting as it was, I couldn't let him play hero while he was injured.

"I can't let you go,"I said. He turned to face me with that pitiful look he could turn off and on. His face rarely displayed much emotion and had greater impact when he chose to show them.

So sneaky, it makes me wonder what part of your look is manufactured. I can't really tell so I avoid looking at him. I'll give in if I don't. It triggers something. He knows he's seconds from being tuned out completely. It's the sort of thing he must have dealt with all his life.

"Please, I need to issue a warning to everyone in Satellite. Saiga should be able to take control of the communication device on each duelist's duel disks for at least a minute," he explained. I wavered, sparing him a glance. His expression was no less desperate than before, but there was tinge of hope since I raised my head.

Logically, there wasn't a reason to deny his request. He did have a plan and nothing about the plan seemed inherently dangerous. I could let him go, provided I chaperoned.

"And, we'll come right back?" I asked. There was a twinge of annoyance present at the insinuation that he would return to lock down right after. He glanced at the spider mark on the table. He put his hand on the paper and proceeded to crumple it. He must have a lot riding on this.

"Yes," he agreed. I gathered my things for our trip to Saiga's. I was looking forward to seeing him again. Unfortunately, I had lost contact with Saiga a number of years before. He was a very desired man. In more ways than one, he relocated often to keep away from security or disgruntled clients. He was the best info and tech guy I'd ever known.

My luck was beginning to pile up thanks to Yusei. I'd be reestablishing contact with a long lost associate. Saiga had promised me a new camera last time too, yet another perk. My enthusiasm increased considerably at the thought, provided the man even remembered me.

"Give me the directions," I said which came out more like a command than I intended. My guest had gotten side tracked in the kitchen. Wait, he was seriously stuffing more pancakes in his system? He came over to the table with another stack and sat it down where I was previously.

"Eat your pancakes first," Yusei said. He didn't have to tell me twice. I was starving.

**Here is the second chapter, expect updates to be sporadic from here on in.** **I had these two chapters saved for a while so enjoy.**


	3. Help

Help

We arrived quickly. Saiga lived surprisingly close by. The main difference, between my neighborhood and this one, was the rapid decay the further we go in. It's sad, but Saiga never really recovered from his fall out with Yuji. He's decaying as much as this place. The buildings have broken windows and are covered with grime and rust. There are cracks on everything. The road was torn up and what would normally be a fifteen minute trip turned into a thirty minute one. Yusei tapped his fingers impatiently with a look that said he can drive much faster. I do not comment in case I'm right. It's important not to stand out here. That's when trouble starts.

A group of men ogled me when I got out of the car. Yusei glared. They muttered. I can't tell what they are saying. We have to pass them to reach Saiga's hide away. I decided to take the longer route. Yusei stopped me. His grip was firm. He has not broken eye contact with the men. I heard knuckles cracking. I flinched, but he doesn't move. I wondered if he meant to provoke a fight. I certainly don't know if he's inclined to that sort of thing. Only a wall separated this place from Satellite, the mannerisms can't be that different.

Yusei laughed. My mouth parted slightly in disbelief. The sound was almost unnatural. They don't seem to get it either. He grabbed my hand, and we passed without a fuss. I noticed before we turned the corner that some had groceries in their hands. It's quiet. I'm usually alone so it's no big deal, but when there was another person around, I felt like I have to say something.

"I'm sorry I overreacted. Their used to be a lot of gangs in Satellite. I thought maybe," he trailed off.

"I was a little worried you'd punch a guy in the face," I said, mostly as idle chatter. He doesn't laugh. He might have. I shut up.

Yusei opened Saiga's little garage unit, the kind you put the stuff you don't want in. An impressive red D-wheel sits there, and he doesn't hesitate to start fiddling with it. Saiga turned away from his computer. His grizzled mug grew a little less grim when he saw me. He got up. I walked over, but he was searching for a box high up on the shelf. He pulled out rubber bands, a variety of computer chips and finally, a camera. I tried to take it. He lifted it out of my reach.

"Wait, explain how you found that one?" he said as he pointed to Yusei. He was testing the engine whose repeated growls can easily drown my voice. I consciously tried to speak louder.

"I ran him over," The yelling made it sound more intentional. Saiga laughed.

"You would get into that situation," Saiga said as he shook his head.

" I can handle it from here," he said. I waved my arms deliberately in protest before Yusei can agree. Fortunately, he's not listening, at least not to us. The roar stopped. He hopped over to where he left his tools and fiddled with it some more.

"Actually, Yusei needs a favor. We're heading back once it's done," I explained. He arched an eyebrow. The grin he had was surprisingly genuine. There was a number next to the torn picture with Yuji's name on it.

"Oh, I didn't realize that was the sort of business you were on Yusei," he said. He lets me have the camera. I don't like the accusation that comes with it. Yusei finished the adjustments and shook his head.

" She is just very persistent," he explained. It sounds equally bad.

"I'm making sure his leg heals before he goes gallivanting who know where," I added. Saiga nodded. Yusei smirked. I doubt he'll stop.

"It doesn't look too bad, but Yusei does get around," Saiga admitted. Yusei was putting his tools away. He wiped his hands on a dish rag and managed to sit on the nearby stool properly.

"Saiga, I need you to rig the duel disk system so I can send a message to all of Satellite," Yusei said.

"You think that's easy," Saiga scoffed.

"I think you can do it," Yusei said flatly. Saiga's hands rampantly move all over the place in what seems to be frustration. Finally, he sighed. It's a strange power Yusei has. Anything that sound insane coming from someone else sounds perfectly legitimate from Yusei's mouth.

"Fine, what message?" Saiga asked.

"I need the people in Satellite to evacuate before it is destroyed," Yusei said.

"Woah, you are getting ahead of yourself. It's not enough to tell people to leave," He pointed to the wall and the guards. No to mention, the thousands that will try to push their way out and trample each other. Yusei thinks about it.

"All they need is a leader. There are ways to escape. It will be hard to smuggle out so many, but I think I know someone who can figure it out," Yusei said. He typed the word Crow in the little message bar on his duel disk. Then, the sign, out of distance, came up. Saiga typed something in with his magic fingers, the signal grows stronger. An irritated nasal voice comes online.

"Hello, Yusei? Are you in the city? Did you" he started to say. Yusei interrupted him.

"It's not important right now. I need you to help people evacuate from Satellite," Yusei said.

"You think that's easy? "Crow complained. The similarities amused me. Saiga chuckled.

"I'm going to be having this conversation a lot; aren't I?" Yusei said and took a deep breath. Crow does not speak for a few seconds. Saiga checked the signal. We might have lost the connection. He only needed time to register the situation as what followed was a flabbergasted gasp.

"Wait why?"he asked.

"You'll hear the announcement in a minute. I just want you to be prepared for . . . havoc," Yusei said. There was a hint of guilt as he looks down at his boot.

"Why do you do this to me Yusei?"Crow whined.

"Because I don't want your soul to get sucked up by demonic gods," Yusei said with a remarkably straight face. Crow muttered unflattering words. Yusei's slammed his feet together much like a bored grade school kid would. It's fool hardy, done only to relieve some tedium as he waited for Crow to collect himself. He payed dearly as he clutched his cast and yelped. Saiga followed with some sardonic response. Yusei glowered. Crow cannot possibly follow along from the primitive radio.

"You know what, I think I'm going to need more than a generic message to get what's going on, "Crow said, and his tone was softer than before. The gravity of the situation must be sinking in. What have I gotten myself into for that matter? This was illegal with equal if not more jail time involved than a simple hit and run. This would cost the city dearly, in damages and resources. For years, we've separated people we found unsavory like an old forgotten landfill. I marveled that Yusei would think it so easy to put the two together.

"Later Crow," Yusei said. It's becoming clear to me that the word impossible never truly crossed Yusei's mind.

"Yu," Crow started to say when Yusei hung up. I sympathized with this Crow person. I don't think I could do the impossible if Yusei asked me to. Then again, Yusei must have earned that right sometime ago with both these men to achieve that sort of compliance to his wishes. No one could be that charismatic.

"Okay, set it up," Yusei told Saiga. He rapped his fingers uneasily on the desk. No, the task he had ahead won't be easy. He knew that. The stress involved must be huge. So, when Saiga asked for my assistance I didn't mind. It's the least I can do, besides simply being the person who told Yusei he can't do everything. A job that would likely get harder and harder as the days let on, but I see that its important. Should he fail from simple injury, the whole of Satellite will have no champion. I think I've seen enough to say he's a good one.

It took an hour to find all the supplies. Yusei practiced what he will say, constantly changing what words he wanted to use. He settled for something very brief, not even using the whole minute.

"People of Satellite, this is Yusei Fudo. I need you to evacuate immediately. This place will soon be destroyed by unnatural forces," Yusei said and paused. Saiga pointed to the equipment and reminded him that we have limited time.

"At Martha's you will find Crow. He will explain exit strategies," Yusei said. I have seen Satellite. Logistically, I cannot fathom how they can find a way to transport that many people at a time. The passage was difficult enough without an influx occurring.

"You sure it was okay to mention a specific location?" Saiga asked. I imagined cops flooding the scene.

"Martha's place is a sanctuary. The cops won't cross her. She's scary with a ladle," Yusei said and rubbed his head. He gazed down. The smallest sliver of doubt crossed his face.

" At least, I don't think they would," he said again. Saiga put on his hat. He took Yuji's number next to the photo.

"What are you doing Saiga?" Yusei asked. He's leaving.

"I have enough pull to maybe have the gates open for a few hours tonight, provided the cops take an unscheduled break," Saiga said. Of course, it's deliberate. However, it's considerate and more than Saiga's ever risked from what I've seen.

"Be careful," I said. He patted my head and swung the backpack onto one of his shoulders.

"Are you sure?" Yusei asked. Saiga gave him a thumbs up.

"Positive, you just do what you have to," Saiga said. Yusei stared wearily at me.

"I'll try," he said. He looked at both of us.

"She'll grow on you," he said as he walked out. Another silence, Yusei pulled himself back up on his crutches. He looked at the D-wheel.

"I don't suppose you know how to ride one?" he asked. I shook my head. I always thought it frivolous to buy a d-wheel when a duel disk worked just as well, and maybe a little afraid to learn. The ground was much safer. No chance of falling.

"I'll have to come back for it some other time then," Yusei said. Somehow, I feel like I've failed him. I would offer to have someone else pick it up, but I don't really have moving buddies or anything like that. I have sources I contact, and a rival. No way I'd call her. I don't want her to steal my scoop, whatever that may turn out to be at this point.

We got in the car. As we drove back, I saw several Security officers heading to Saiga's. I'm glad he has left already and doesn't keep the incriminating stuff in the entrance. There was nothing there they could track him with. Luckily, I lived far enough away that they won't find us. We were very close to being in the director's clutches. Yusei looked back.

"I could," he started to say.

"No," I said. It's enough to dissuade him. He turned around. I wished he'd at least acknowledge we got something done today instead of running to the director.

"I'll have to leave, eventually," Yusei reminded me.

"Eventually," I said and turned on the radio to one of Fubuki's pop stations. He whistled along.


	4. Hovel

Hovel

Shadows everywhere wanted a piece of me. They're not the friendly shadows I'm looking for. I've lost my way. I saw his silhouette. He said that I should hurry. I told him I don't know where to go. I heard a screech instead of a real reply. It's coming from deep inside and far away. An orange glow appeared; the man walked away and said perhaps, he was mistaken to think my fate would be any different. I open my eyes to the unpleasant darkness and city lights, Three a.m., again. I fumble around for the alarm clock and knock over a glass of water I had the night before. I consider the fact that I don't hear police sirens blare outside a good sign. Restless, a tingling sensation spreads, and I can't go back to sleep without seeing the man. Yusei knocked because of course, something's gone wrong. I get dressed. For a moment, I wonder if I should wear something less noticeable than blue and orange, even my trifocals was not an everyday sight. The knocks get more persistent. I wear my orange vest as well as my white and blue striped shirt anyway. It's not like the director knew who I was. I grabbed my camera.

"Carly, I need a ride," Yusei shouted. I picked up the glass from the floor. I walked over to him and kept my expression nonchalant. I don't need to encourage him to rush me.

"Why?" I asked. He's quick to pull me forward, even when he kilters a little. I balanced him until he regained his leverage.

"I'm coming," I told him. He shuffled over to the couch area to take the remote from the coffee table and turned on the tv. Angela's on screen for a few seconds before it cuts to the apparent riot near the bridge. There's a number of knocked out guards on the floor and I see Saiga helping people through, but the message had obviously also reached the city folk. Some people are getting through but many people were being pushed back by ordinary citizens. The people in the city didn't want them, and they were making the message very clear.

"What do you think you can do about it?" I asked. Yusei sailed clear past annoyance to sheer disbelief. All he had to do was stare at me, and the moonlight's harsh light did the rest. Never had I had this level of control of someone, I hated it, but he could barely push me around, let alone anyone else.

"They need me," he said. Clever, completely avoid the question, he really didn't expect the mob to stop because he said so did he?

"Yusei," I started to say. Yusei wasn't looking at me anymore, the type of disbelief he had changed to almost childlike. He turned up the volume.

"Amazing, some sort of fire creature has come and is chasing away our citizens," Angela said, and she didn't have to fake her astonishment for once. Yusei held his arm, and I could see the insignia shine a deep red that matched the monster on the screen. I kinda wished we had gone to see that. Unbelievable or not, a giant Crimson Dragon in the sky was hard to argue with.

"Is that a duel monster?" she whispered to her cameraman.

"No? Well, it is certainly impressive. We advise you not to come out here. This is Angela hoping this brightened your insomniatic night," she said. Yusei muted the t.v. so he could continue watching the dragon circling the wall. Everyone looked alarmed by the creature, but most people from Satellite had the sense to run toward the city. The citizens had long since dispersed, and at least, the police had stopped forcing people back into Satellite. A question hung on the tip of my tongue.

"Did you do that?" I asked. Yusei shook his head. Before, I had no way of knowing the mark affected him. He had been peacefully asleep, breathing deeply without any awareness of the outside world. Now, he clung to the area as a little kid would after suffering their first burn.

"It wasn't just me. There are others. I don't know how to explain it better," he said. The mark was taking all of his attention, and he answered as if he was running out of air.

"Do you need water . . . or something?" I asked. From playing video games in my youth, it had always stuck that water beat fire. He shook his head again. I sat down next to him. He grunted as if the pressure had increased simply because of my presence.

"Let me see," I said, trying to see if any actual damage had been caused or if it was even more mystical voodoo. He avoided my touch, turning as far from me as possible.

"Yusei," I said, in a way I imagined that I would use on my children someday. Not that he was always like this but it was growing into a familiar pattern. The difficulty was starting to outweigh the charm.

"I'm fine," he said. The finality of it was earth shattering. In his mind, I have always been the difficult one. He wanted to be out there. He had wanted to leave long ago. I was in the way.

"Okay, you deal with this by yourself, then. I am done taking care of you," I said, finally. Why fight the inevitable? I started to stomp off, and had barely taken two steps when Yusei spoke.

"Carly, wait," I didn't turn around, but he had lowered the volume. I would almost call it sorry.

"What?" My patience had returned somewhat. Admittedly, I had grown tired of all these mystical elements interfering in my life without proper compensation. If I didn't have a conscience, I would have had several pictures by now of the Crimson Dragon, the duel king, and the leader of the rebel resistance as Angela had deemed Crow. As it stood, I was walking into work empty handed, and he wasn't even grateful I was looking out for him.

"Please stay," The two words were unassuming and insecure. It was enough to have me turn around. I shouldn't have. He hadn't released his grip on his arm, but he looked right at me this time, the stare magnetic and penetrating. I sat right back down. He held his arm out. I touched the mark. The warmth that came from it held a certain appeal as if I held my hands over a personal furnace, nothing like I expected.

"I guess there's not much I can do for you," I said, a different sort of warmth on my cheeks. I honestly didn't know what I expected to accomplish by directly touching it. My hand lingered too long. By the multitudes of people on the screen, he would be awake for quite a while. I slowly let my hand slide off his arm. Yusei reclaimed my hand in his own, a very quick glance followed.

"Are you tired?" he asked. I yawned in sudden awareness. We were barely thirty minutes into the night. I wondered how long he expected me to stay. My body started to sink further into the couch. I looked up and noticed he was positioning us so we could both stay on the couch.

"Odds are I'll accidently kick your leg," I warned him.

"I don't mind," he said. I obliged him and got comfortable.

The hours passed and the footage got repetitive. The dragon simply circled around and occasionally roared at the police. Crow continually came to and fro, but Saiga had long since packed up. Yusei's arm would occasionally twitch and glow brighter particularly when the dragon roared. He didn't say anything, and he didn't particularly look sleepy. The way we were positioned, he could immediately tell when I checked on him. So, I stopped after the third time he looked down and caught me. Sometimes, while I stared at the screen, my eyes would droop, but I couldn't bring myself to let them close permanently. Deep down, I was waiting for him to fall asleep so I could go back to bed.

The amount of people lessened, and at times, Yusei would whisper the names of people he recognized: Rally this, Taka that, Nerve over there, Blitz made it on so on and so forth. I even got to see Martha, a dark burly woman who indeed carried a ladle as she led the children to the other side. His mood improved considerably after he got affirmation of their safety, and the mark's intensity would lessen with each safe passage. Eventually, the dragon faded as there wasn't anyone left to guard. A split second later, Yusei's marked ceased to burn. Maybe, he wasn't the only one summoning the beast, but they were definitely following his agenda. Some guy winked at the camera, shouting: We did it Yusei. Crow. The persona matched the voice, an unrefined swath of hair, a cheesy grin and all those marks. Yusei smiled all the same. The director's town car came into view in the background. The door clicked open and both the director and the recovering Jack got out of the car.

"He gets to go outside," Yusei muttered.

"Notice that he only needs an arm sling, and he's good to go. You couldn't get past the hallway," I retorted. He hadn't let go of my hand and squeezed harder when he realized his friend hadn't noticed the director coming.

"Get out of there, Crow," he whispered. Angela came on again from the studio.

"So, what's next for you?" Angela asked. The pleasantness of her voice almost sounded genuine if she hadn't been starting at his markers, I would have believed her to be sincere. Crow scratched his head.

"Well, I'll be heading out and checking on my family, "Crow said. The director put a hand on Crow's shoulder. His hair seemed to spike a little straighter. And, Jack, well, it was the first time I hadn't seen him with an enthusiastic grin on his face. What was more intriguing was that Crow's glare was aimed at Jack, not the director. I'm almost sure I heard; why didn't you warn me? Or, I read too much into the small gestures.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait. Miss, please do turn off the cameras, but if Yusei Fudo would like to join this discussion. He knows where to find me and his friends," The director said. As always, his face had an irreplaceable calm, especially helped by the celestial blue of his eyes. The smile had grown an inch or so, barely perceptible, at his final statement. Yusei turned the t.v. off. I already knew that Yusei's desperate want for answers had been rekindled, now that it was mixed with the added threat of his friends custody.

"No," I said as I've had to say every time before. He let go of my hand. The red outline his fingers had made was still visible. All I knew was I didn't want to stay here if he was going to pester me about it for the few precious hours I had left. I tried my best to avoid his leg and get up. My added sleepiness did not help my accuracy. I nicked his foot. Yusei winced.

"I don't have weeks, Carly. This is as good a time as any to stop hiding," he said.

"You need weeks," I said. Glad that he hadn't broken his Femur bone, or I would have had to deal with this sort of talk for months.

"I appreciate your help, but I'm ready to go," Yusei said, starting to stand. I took his crutches as a preemptive tactic. His eyes formed into slits and his teeth clenched.

"I won't give you a ride," I added. The menace left instantly. Yusei let his eyes close briefly and sighed.

"I'll walk," he said, using the sides of the couch to stand and get closer to the door. Luckily, there was a good long stretch where he could hold onto nothing.

"Yusei, please, everyone's evacuated. What more can you possibly do?" I said. His never ending unsatisfied wants were starting to agitate me. Yusei hesitated when he reached the end of the couch. I put away the crutches well out of his reach, right in the corner of the living room, a good ten feet stretch from where he was.

"Yusei, you'll aggravate your injury if you fall," I said. Yusei stared at the carpet for a good five minutes before releasing the tension in his shoulders. The hopelessness of continuing had set in. He started to retreat back into his previous seat. I followed him closely and caught him when he almost missed his descent down onto the couch cushion. He mumbled a thanks or maybe, I imagined it. A nice quiet followed, an impasse. He let me situate him into a resting position on the couch.

"I have to work in the morning. I don't want to see you dying in agony on the floor when I get back," I said. He simply stared at me, defiance, deeply inset in his narrowed gaze. I continued anyway.

"I'll leave breakfast for you in the morning, and in the afternoon, I'll bring you some takeout. Is there anything you'd prefer?" I asked. I waited, but he intently ignored my question.

"Goodnight," I said, seeing no point in making idle conversation if he wouldn't indulge me. Considering I had no scoop, I didn't want to be running on empty tomorrow. Sticking with Yusei would get me nowhere, unless I wanted to be held against my will. I would have to work overtime to find something else to report on.

"Carly, I'd like to accompany you tomorrow" I let my head hit the wall. He knew very well that he was likely to be spotted.

"Why?" Now, let's see if he'll admit it.

"I'm tired of being inside." His eyes trailed to the shut blinds with a frown. He acts as if I've held him hostage for years. We went outside yesterday. Unfortunately, I am worried he'll hurt himself if I leave him alone, or I would flat out refuse him. I know he can be reasoned with. I also know how easily he can slip from my fingers.

"Promise me you won't run off when I take my eyes off you," I said. Yusei returned his attention to me. Now that I'm being more cooperative, his gaze has softened.

"You still have my deck. I wouldn't leave permanently without that," he said, and there's the catch. He would be just fine leaving for a little while if he could. The director could easily arrange for a permanent stay. Then, he could go battle the monsters on one foot, real practical.

"You'll have to wear a disguise," I said. Yusei hardly bothered reacting to the statement. He must have expected as much.

"Anything you want Carly," He's closed his eyes. A smile filtered through his casual expression, I may have made a mistake.

"Hardly," I muttered. He opened one eye.

"Goodnight Carly," he said, and it's my turn to use the silent treatment. He's unconcerned by the lack of response and closed his eye, attempting deep sleep. Let's see how graceful he was in the morning with less than three hours of sleep. I will not be giving him any of my coffee that was for sure.


	5. Harmony

Harmony

Nothing could quite capture the chipper attitude Yusei had when I stepped in. The tune he hummed mirrored the birds outside with ease, and there were even more pancakes this morning. I smiled at the surprise until I realized he had somehow retrieved the crutches.

"How did you escape?" He didn't reply right away, instead flipping a pancake. As he added the buttermilk goodness to the giant stack, I noted the whip cream and strawberries beside them.

"It was Miguel again, wasn't it?" I asked, but by now, he probably met a Beatrice and a Lenny for all I knew. Yusei smiled separating a couple of pancakes from the stack.

"He wanted his toolbox back," he offered as he added whip cream to his stack along with two strawberries. It really made me wonder how he even got to the door or why he hadn't left for sweet freedom right after. Right, I still had something he wanted, and he was too logical to ever consider searching the cookie jar.

"That wasn't too difficult for you?" Letting him decide how guilty I should feel about it, his face didn't reveal any possible vexation from the ordeal. He didn't even look particularly smug. He simply separated out another stack and handed the plate to me. I went ahead and added the whip cream and strawberries myself (so fancy).

We ate at a fairly regular pace. I tried very hard not to make a squeak of contentment in case he planned to use this as leverage for the return of his deck. He did give me a look when I went back for seconds. I froze, but he didn't say anything and simply watched as if I were a bird who had just landed on the window sill, a surprise that could easily go away at a moment's notice. I risked getting seconds. He gave a polite nod, before getting up to wash his plate. A shoved more pancake in my mouth than I planned at a time now that I found myself alone as well as borderline late. Plate clean, besides the syrupy remains, I chugged the milk. I made a swift motion for my laptop and camera so I could head out. Yusei tapped my shoulder.

"The disguise," he reminded, causing me to curse a little. Considering how late I was, I wasn't looking forward to dragging him around on his one functioning leg. Well, I did break it, and I did get up early to find something that would make him a little less recognizable, which led to a fairly awkward question.

"Are you okay with makeup?" I loved the way he fidgeted a little at the question, muttering something about being a bad influence on Rua, whoever that might be. His mouth opened a little, and he touched the marker in a reflexive way. He gingerly put his hand down and nodded, accepting the need for it. Unless he wanted a mask, a certain witch made that a bit of a taboo around this area(It was a fairly big attention grabber as it was).

I took the impromptu make up kit out. I made sure to get a dark oil base shade so it wouldn't be so obvious that he was covered in it. It's not like no one had thought of this trick before, but I had called Saiga extremely early yesterday or late in my case to ask how to apply it properly, giving me a well deserved boost of confidence. He winced a little as I caked the stuff on (the thing was bright yellow). The final product looked fairly convincing. There was that hair. I didn't really want to dye it so. I was lazy about it.

"And I got you a hat" He seemed grateful that it wasn't anything too drastic. He took the cap willingly. The volume of it caved from the force of Yusei's hand easily. I had expected more of a struggle, but it fit under the hat without much effort. Pleased but horrendously late, I struggled to think of a polite way to hurry him along. He moved to the door with large confident leaps.

"Work?" he asked when I gaped at him. I fumbled with my keys until I pulled myself together enough to the lock the door. There wasn't much to the rest of the trip. Mostly I spazzed from my lateness and lack of actual good news to give to my boss. The yellow cab got us there although I worried about the way Yusei eyed the noisy motor with a critical eye. He better not touch the sputtering beaut. I liked it that way. Well, I was already late so I waited for him outside the building and held the door for him. He seemed flustered by this as he mumbled something about being able to hold the door himself. Yusei accepted the help anyway. We were holding up the reporters who actually had news to report.

"Wait here," I told him once we arrived at my boss's door. Here I go, solo. I tensed once I shut the door behind me. He hadn't noticed me yet. Up on his message board was a map of the city, a picture of Yusei was plastered on it with a bunch of thumb tacks used to mark possible locations. Well, I figured as much from, the where the hell is he, sign, thumb tacked beside it. From what I heard, he was not in a good mood. The call ended all too soon, and he turned to me.

"What do you have for me Carly?" my boss asked expectantly with a nefarious grin( The mustache didn't help.) He may have always pressured me and called me more than he should on stake outs, but he did always expect me to bring in the best stuff, my reputation proceeds me. There were the times when . . . I was two steps away from being fired.

"Nothing, I couldn't find him and security was too tight around Jack," I said with a straight face. A resounding growl that lasted long enough to make his moustache flutter in the wind followed my bad news.

"Carly, you always find a way," he said, furrowing his brows as he noticed me twitch. I took a deep breath, letting myself smile a little. He still looked like an extremely hungry bear that I'd poked with a stick.

"Nada," I said again. I consoled myself with the fact he wouldn't believe me anyway.

"Carly, I put up with a lot of your silly antics. Once I asked you to cover a store opening, and you came back with a full expose on a robbery that happened next store. That's great and all," he adjusted his britches. He'd cut back on the sandwiches and it showed, a little too much sometimes. I closed my eyes. Here it comes.

"But you're too inconsistent, you haven't brought me anything good in weeks. You're fired," he said. My jaw dropped. He actually did it this time. Oh, the rents coming up and the electric bills after that and . . .

"O- o-kk-ay," I stuttered, thinking of kittens and pancakes to stop the tears. The door opened. He didn't. My boss ran to the door. He did. Yusei had taken off the makeup and hat, disguise be damned. My boss grabbed Yusei by the shoulder as if to make sure he was really there. He ignored that.

"Excuse me, are you ready for lunch Carly?" he asked like it was no big deal, and they did this sort of thing all the time. My boss picked up on it right away.

"You and her are," he started to say as he connected the dots, which all added up to, firing Carly, big mistake.

"Dating, she actually wanted to interview me today for your newspaper, but I suppose that won't be necessary," Yusei said, taking it a step further. I could feel my cheeks heat up, and the only other time that happened usually involved me falling along with some other sticky substance. Bless him and curse him all at the same time. Other than that, I didn't confirm it. I didn't deny it either. A spot light was on me and I had no idea what to do. My boss recovered first. He helped me up. I guess I should pick up some stuff I have here as silly and worthless as it was.

"Carly, you should have said you were still working on it, of course you can have more time," he said, guiding me to the door and not so subtly pushing us together. My brain didn't get it.

"But you just," I said.

"Gave you some vacation time," he bribed, something occurred to me. Experience taught me vacation time meant less money. I had a trump card this time.

"With pay," I added. He looked at Yusei before begrudgingly turning to me again, wondering how the hell that happened but knowing it was in his best interest to support it. That was my take on it anyway, maybe, he was cursing Yusei for having to hire me again.

"Fine," he said. Feeling brazen enough for it, I gave him a hug. He sputtered but took the abrupt invasion of personal space anyway.

"Thanks, if I'm not around, you'll know where I'll be," I said. It wasn't confident if anything it sounded doubtful. Yusei made another move and did the classic arm on shoulder trick. It caused two dollar signs to appear over my boss's eyes. We managed to keep a steady rhythm as we made it outside, despite our sudden close proximity. He wasn't leaning on me too much. I had to give him credit for keeping coordinated. Only when we reached the door did I think of the disguise, I couldn't put makeup on him in public. The same thing must have occurred to him. There couldn't have been any other reason to do something so incriminating in front of a newspaper office. He picked me up keeping steady hold while holding both his crutches with his other hand. And, we were close enough to kiss. I've never been so sweaty or conscious of my strawberry chap stick, my one dollar fruity chap stick. A heard a click from the office. It didn't just happen. Did it look like we . . .? He had started walking. It hadn't occurred to anyone inside to chase us, no wonder I never got fired- well mostly. No one else seemed to have my instincts to chase these stories. Everyone who walked by only saw the back of my head, the idea was kind of brilliant, so I ignored how my arms trembled, I wasn't doing the heavy lifting anyhow.

We were lucky I parked in front of the building. I was lucky he was amazingly strong and didn't make us both crash to the ground. He put me down, quickly retrieving his hat. Keeping his head low, he made his way to the other side of the car. Inside, I handed him the makeup from my satchel. So, I did think to stop for lunch after Yusei had made such a big deal about it while purposely saving my ass. It's the least I could do.

"Are we actually . . ." I could see a mild panic course through him as he wondered if I believed anything he had said. He was back to Yusei ninja mode, all tense and ready to dash into the distance. It wasn't something I wanted to deal with. It's not like I'd even considered it before he said it.

"Thanks," It was enough to calm him down and regain his composure. Somehow, the lack of a visible marker seemed to make him less intimidating and more his age. Perhaps it was all the negative connotations I have of markers, but I could see him walking into a grocery store and buying a candy bar no problem. It was nice just seeing him as a regular human being who didn't have the entire world on his shoulders, today at least. The little Italian place had a nice assortment of pasta, and he ordered milk of all things. He blushed a little when they mentioned it usually was something kids ordered. I asked for a milkshake, also from the kid's menu which seemed to help him get past it.

As I ate, he twirled his fork into his pasta, but didn't particularly make a move to eat. I ignored that and ate my own. Once I was a third of the way done, he took a bite before looking of into the distance.

"I have to go,"It wasn't overly firm like he wasn't expecting it to have much affect on me. Good, I had spent the majority of the last few days saying no. He never gave up. I didn't see it as much of a virtue this go round. We were eating lunch for one.

"Do we really have to discuss this now?" I asked, and the tiredness seeped into my voice. I hadn't had time for coffee this morning.

"Yeah," he said, not so much out of obliviousness but more, so we could actually have a civil conversation about it.

"I suppose I could go and keep an eye on you if you must go," It was better than getting arrested. Faked tawdry antics aside, someone must have seen them. That and besides that one isolated incident, it didn't look like the world was going to end.

"You can't," he said, and it didn't sound very concerned for my welfare. He was irritated. Welcome to the club.

"Why? I'm more able bodied than you are at the moment," Ignoring the spectacle of Yusei carrying me on one foot, my logic was completely sound. He continued to twirl the spaghetti into a bigger ball.

" You'd get in the way, and this is important. It's not some tournament. I don't need a tag along," he said, and a cement block might as well of hit my stomach the way it came out. Apparently, he didn't find me helpful at all, about as good as a puppy. Whatever, I'd be an adorable puppy.

"I get it. Since I'm not some magical fairy that can heal your leg, I can't do any more to help you," The words came out like sharp quiet little daggers as I glared at him. I could see when he flinched at every sarcastic word. As foreign as it was, I find myself smiling at that. Still, he'd had a rough couple of days. I should lay off.

"I'll drive you to the director's tomorrow. Provided, he doesn't come to us first," If they did get a photo of me, I wasn't as ready to disappear as Saiga was, even if I had fewer close ties than he did.

"Thanks," he almost added something else, but the glare I gave him quieted him. Yusei started eating the giant glorified meat chunk in smile bites. I attacked the rest of my meal. I was hungry really. There wasn't further talking, until after I paid for the meal with my one and only credit card. He looked at the empty milk bottle instead of me.

"Carly, I didn't mean to insult you. It's just not your fight, and there really isn't anything you can do. And about the article, no one would" . . . believe you, I finished the thought for him. I snapped the metal chair back into place so I heard a satisfied clink afterwards. I tossed him the phone and didn't bother looking at him either.

"Here, enjoy being outside for a while, call my home phone when you're ready for me to pick you up," I told him. As the responsible party, I'd done what I could. If magical entities wanted to harm this guy so badly, what else could I do really? He already had the whole magic dragon force field going on. After everything I did without such protection, I was deemed useless. I do hope we run into each other again, literally. I'd get a kick out of the coincidence.

"Carly,"he started to say something again. I didn't let him try to take what he said back. I could tell he meant it. I'm a reporter, some peoples' idea of annoying. I had a few days before my boss would start asking questions. I would just tell him we broke up when he did and if he fired me again, well, maybe, getting another scoop would change his mind.

"I'll hand over the deck in the morning," I cut him off. Yusei sighed, and he reminded me more of a kid who lost his ball than anything with that cap on.

"All right,' he said. The lady that served us seemed worried about my hasty retreat. I could see him start to talk to her from the corner of my eye. Good luck lady. I let my head hit the soft padding. This was stupid. What did it matter what this unknown out of the blue star-kid thought of me? He's the king, but that didn't mean all that much. It could have been a fluke. No one saw the end of it. Come to think of it, It's probably when he saw all the mystical junk. Crazy, infuriatingly ready to die, Yusei, soon, you won't be my problem anymore. Thanks for fixing the dishwasher and for the pancakes, if only you actually cared. I'm not really sure you do, about me anyway. I took out my fortune deck. Hey, guys, I know I've been neglecting you but could I ask I question. What does Yusei think of me? I shouldn't care, but you know how easily I get attached.

The little red pixie, En, stared back at me. My fortune today is uncertain, but I should remember things are stronger when united. I wasn't turning the car around if that's what they were thinking. I left my satchel by the door and went immediately into my room. I attempted to land dramatically on my bed, but I hit my head on the headboard. Half heartedly hitting the board with my first, I fell asleep easily because of the late night yesterday. My home phone didn't buzz until very late Part of me thought, he'd never actually call. I could see him convincing some taxi driver to take him to the director's house for free. I trudged over to the phone anyway. The few words we exchanged were generic and pretty much ended with the swift pick up of Yusei. He didn't leave the little Italian joint. The girl he had talked to all that time was Stephanie apparently. Very pleasant and cheery, except, she was changing jobs to some overpriced coffee place because they paid better. He was a little upset he wouldn't be able to find her again. He'd never heard of the place. There were hints that he wanted me to tell him where he might find it. I only nodded along and feigned interest. He just loves to hear everyone's life story. Actually, he'd never asked for mine, not that it matters. He probably had a good idea how she lived by now. He'd seen it, he'd heard it, and now, he was ready to stop the next major disaster since the darkness incident her mother had told her about. She hoped this disaster wouldn't be that wide spread at least.

"Yusei, sleep in my bed tonight," she hadn't phrased that right, but he understood. Yusei had given up arguing with her for the time being.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Carly," he said. The silence that followed made them both turn away. I lay on the couch and hoped the seething anger would disappear with more sleep. Something about that boy just seemed to bring out her anger. The darkness in her dreams remarked dryly that's what she got for meeting the wrong boy.


End file.
